The boat would be made at home by a boy and his dad and would be inexpensive to construct (in the 1930s the boat cost 5 pounds 7 shillings and sixpence, and the sails cost 3 pounds 5 shillings).

The Chelsea Classic brings to life the excitement of sailing from the Club’s formation in 1938, to the post war boom in sailing through the 1950’s to 1970’s including Vee Jays, Skates, Rainbows, Gwen 12's, St Kilda 8's, 14 foot skiffs, Heavyweight Sharpies and timber Lightweight Sharpies, both sailing and on display.

“Wife and I dragged the Mirror out of the shed where it has sat, unused, for 20 years. Started first time. Had a ball at the Invy regatta, highly recommended, great club and people.”

The success of Foy’s plan was instant and has maintained its relevance to 18ft Skiff racing over the following 130 years with spectator ferries still following the Australian 18 Footers League’s ‘modern boat’ racing each Sunday during each Australian summer season.

Both Mander and Tasker published books with accounts of this career defining competition. They reveal different approaches to sailing mostly defined by character.

The word Sharpie has always appealed. They were 1960’s working class street gangs with flash style and tough attitude. Melbourne’s own West Side Story was Romper Stomper, a movie made in Footscray and Spotswood, next door to the Royal Yacht Club Victoria in Williamstown. The club had its own fleet of Sharpies in the 1950’s and 60’s and hosted the Olympic Sharpies at the 1956 regatta.

‘In the midst of a global pandemic, a young boy is given an extraordinary gift. AGRICOLA 7101 is an uplifting documentary focusing on a group of kind-hearted individuals who come together to rescue a long-neglected and rare classic Australian sailing dinghy - fundamentally changing the life of a young boy along the way.’

After years of building a dinghy collection, Tony now wants to develop a place to celebrate these boats, the people who built and sailed them and the Swan River environment itself.

Barnett was determined to regain his Australian title and his design of Myra Too created a boat exceptionally suited to Sydney Harbour conditions and, along with a powerful Marconi-rigged big sail, had good, all round speed in any conditions.

Here’s the second part of our review of a terrific book Albert Park Yacht Club 150 Years on the Lake. We’ve picked out a few portraits and stories of people and boats that characterise a Rather special club.

These brands act as a reminder of a time when local was good, when small could be beautiful and one craftsperson with a sewing machine could dream of powering the boats of champions.

There are two enticing small craft events on offer, both with a proven track record and within a fortnight and 60kms of each other.

A couple of weekends ago, while covering the Inverloch Classic Dinghy Regatta for SWS, I was struck by the history and beauty of retro design encapsulated in the cloth badges of the sailmakers from the 1950’s 60’s & 70’s.

Then throw into the mix a beautifully preserved Rainbow, a stunning diagonal planked Finn, an original Cherub, a few Minnows, a 145 (the bigger brother of the well know 125) a couple of cruising dinghies, a brace of Sabres and you’ve got yourself a regatta.

With the 100th Australian 18 footers Championship scheduled to be sailed on Sydney Harbour from February 5 to 13, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on its history and acknowledge the contributions of designers, builders and competitors from NSW, Queensland and Western Australia since the first event at Perth in 1912

“Grasshopper, where does the wind come from?” .…“Why, the sun of corse! Sails harness the resulting movements of air.” It was only a matter of seconds and BOOM ! Another Paradigm Shift!

Bingo.! Augmented Rowing, A marriage made in heaven. Solar sailing if you like!

Summer is coming, lockdowns are ending…time to get out on the water one way or another. Based on the theory that the pleasure to be gained from a boat is inversely proportional to its length…. here are five classic little wooden boats, all under 5 meters long, and all currently on the market.

Len Heffernan was a champion 18ft skiff skipper, designer and boat builder of the 1950s and 60s, who changed the style of the Sydney 18 footers in the early 1960s, but never gets the recognition that he deserves.

A surreal year it certainly was, although, if you are going to be locked down, it might as well be in a cosy workshop with a pile of plywood to scarph and a roll of lovely Oughtred drawings. The reality of what a world pandemic meant hit home most when epoxy paint became unobtainable in the colour white.

As we move towards the 2021-2022 season, it’s a good time to remember how the ‘League’ began and how the original club administrators generated the enormous public support that has endured.